Skip to main content

The who, what and how of Chicago blue cart recycling in 2018

Remember to empty and rinse every item. Image from Recycle By City.
By Michael Wasserman

As many of my clients are new to Chicago, I’m often asked about recycling, typically as we sit around the closing table finalizing purchases. And, since there are updated rules and schedules, I thought I’d jot down a quick overview and links to Chicago’s nifty recycling guide. Plus a cool quiz.

Chicago’s path towards city-wide residential recycling has been littered with missteps and good ideas gone bad. The infamous “blue bag” program was introduced more than two decades ago (1995). It was confusing, messy and largely ineffective.

Thankfully, in 2007 Chicago popped the blue bags and rolled out its Blue Cart Residential Recycling Program. Even that was slow to gain traction. It took another seven years before residents of every neighborhood in the city had access to the bright blue carts and consistent pick-up service.

Who gets a blue cart?
The Blue Cart program provides bi-weekly recycling services to single-family homes and multi-unit buildings with four or fewer units. If your home is eligible and you don’t have a blue cart, call 311 or your ward office to request one.

When is pick up?
Recycling is picked up every other week. Which week? Check out Chicago’s 2018 recycling schedule.

What goes into the blue cart?
Many everyday household items. The important thing is to empty and rinse every item. Otherwise the item just ends up in the landfill.

Put these (rinsed) items into the blue cart:
  • Cans: aluminum and steel cans
  • Aluminum foil: that’s cleaned of food waste
  • Cartons: food and beverage cartons
  • Glass: bottles and jars (but not drinking glasses)
  • Paper: mixed paper, mail, newspaper, magazines, and flattened, clean cardboard 
  • Plastic: (kitchen, laundry and bath) bottles and containers with plastic lids on 
Do not put these into the blue cart:
  • Trash or trash bags: empty recyclables into the cart
  • Plastic bags: they can be recycled at a participating grocery store
  • Food or liquid: empty and clean out recyclables 
  • Tanglers: hoses, chains, cords and wires that might foul up equipment
  • Animal droppings: even if they’re in a recyclable bag
  • Small plastic items: smaller than two inches 
There’s more. Recycle by City has the official Chicago recycling list.
Plus, you can take this quick quiz to see if you’re a good recycler (I got 83%).
Finally, here’s a printable Blue Cart recycling guide.

Can you recycle computers and hazardous waste? 
Chicago recycles those items, too. But you have to drop them off at the Household Chemical and Computer Recycling Facility at 1150 N. North Branch Street during drop-off times (see below). It’s easy—they even have a team to help you unload.

The Household Chemical and Computer Recycling Facility accepts:
  • Household cleaners
  • Batteries
  • Anti-freeze
  • Pesticides
  • Propane tanks
  • Oil-based paints 
  • Solvents
  • Cell phones
  • Compact fluorescent light bulbs
  • Computers 
Check out the facility’s complete list.

Facility drop off times are:
  • Tuesdays (7 am – 12 pm)
  • Thursdays (2- 7 pm)
  • The first Saturday of every month (8 am – 3 pm)
Happy recycling! Thanks for doing your part to keep our city green.

Learn more:
Curious City: What Really Happens to Chicago's Blue Cart Recycling?





Location: Chicago, IL, USA

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

PLM Title Shuttered

Title insurance is a critically important part of any real estate transaction; or at least it should be. The title company guaranties the "quality" of an owners interest in the property - that there aren't any (unknown) liens or defects. No buyer that I work for will purchase a property without it. Title insurance is only as good as the insurer. We want to know that the insurance company, like the Rock of Gibraltar , will always be there. We want to sleep easy at night, knowing that the client is protected. That said, it was a bit distressing to see that PLM Title Company shut its doors, without any forewarning last week. Worse still, this morning's news is that there is a criminal investigation underway - and that we do not yet know why. Old timers like me shudder with memories of the great Intercounty Title debacle five years ago. Here's to hoping that this one is nothing like that one. Set aside the problems involved trying to make a claim against a defun...
6 comments
Read more

FHA Loans and Condo Sales - Is Relief on the Way?

By all outward appearances, state government in Illinois has ground to a complete halt, with all eyes focused on the Governor's "problem" and all the related fal - der -rah. Its hardly business as usual in Springfield, but not everything has ground to a halt. Several new bills have been introduced this week. That is not to say that they will be of benefit to we the people. Nonetheless, the cogs and gears are turning, and we are hoping for the best. One such proposal comes from Rep. LaShawn Ford of Chicago's west side, who is himself a real estate broker and entrepreneur . He is the author of House Bill 155 , introduced & referred to the Rules Committee Wednesday. It seeks to address one of the most common problems I am seeing in condominium resale transactions these days; the tension between many Declarations of Condominium and FHA loan guidelines. Many Condo Declarations provide Associations with a "right of first refusal," which basically allows t...
3 comments
Read more

MAYOR DALEY PROPOSES TIF FINANCING FOR SOME DISTRESSED PROPERTIES

Lets see how City Council reacts on this one, but the Mayor introduced a pretty interesting little ordinance that might be a real boon to first time area home buyers willing to buy and rehabilitate some bank-owned properties. Progress Illinois reports that the mayor's bill, introduced on March 9: "seeks to tackle the growing problem of vacant homes that are blighting neighborhoods across Chicago, and in particular in minority communities. Called the Vacant Building TIF Purchase and Rehabilitation Ordinance, the  bill  (PDF) proposes allowing residents with a household income no greater than 100 percent of the regional median income to apply for a tax increment financing (TIF) grant that would pay for up to 25 percent of the cost of purchasing and rehabilitating an empty residential property. Single-family empty homes or units in condo and cooperative buildings with four units or fewer are eligible. The empty homes must be located in a TIF district and must be in need of...
Post a Comment
Read more